


Ghosts

by Louissa



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Derealisation Dissorder, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Mentions of Death, Minor Dissociative Amnesia, Panic Attacks, Tim's hurting, What's new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 08:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louissa/pseuds/Louissa
Summary: Sometime Tim forgets what’s real and what’s not.





	Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> Request: Tim walking up to a dissociative episode and the batfam caring for him?
> 
> I don’t really know a lot about Dissociative Disorders so this may not be one of my best works.

Sleeping was something that Tim didn’t do a lot of, most times it would be Dick or Alfred who would force him to get some much needed rest. More often than not Tim wouldn’t sleep, he would just lay in bed and think about cases until the sun rose again. Bruce told him it was unhealthy, the demon brat said he’d never amount to anything without sleep.   
  
On this occasion Tim had been sleeping for over 14 hours, each time Dick checked in on him he slept straight through it. Tim didn’t even move when Dick sat by his bed for a while, even when Dick was playing with his hair to settle him after a nightmare his eyes didn’t open.   
  
Tim woke after 18 hours of sleep, for once he didn’t actually feel like he’d need to rely on coffee to get through the rest of the day. He could smell Alfred’s cooking drifting up from the kitchen, turning his head to look at the time he realised just how long he’d been sleeping for. Sighing he stretched and moved towards the bathroom for a quick shower before heading down to dinner.   
  
-   
  
As he walked down the stairs and moved towards the kitchen Tim felt uneasy as he moved through the empty halls, since Dick died there was no more loud music or bickering between him and the demon spawn. Oddly enough Tim missed it, he missed Dick.   
  
“Did you sleep well Tim?”   
  
It was Dick’s voice that pulled him from his thoughts, Tim froze in the doorway of the kitchen eyes locked on Dick. He was just seeing things right? Dick was dead there was no way that he could be alive and standing in front of him, it was impossible. He felt the colour drain from his face as he backed up a moment attempting to collect his thoughts, as he took a step back he collided with Bruce who caught him with ease.   
  
“Tim? What’s wrong why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”   
  
“I.. Dick- dead dead dead he’s dead”  
  
He pulled himself out of Bruce’s hold and stumbled down the hall attempting to calm his breathing, the whole room as spinning before he collapsed. A chorus of voices called out to him as he hit the ground hard, eyes fluttering shut Tim allowed the darkness to consume him.   
  
-   
  
“I don’t understand what I did, Bruce. All I did was ask how he slept.”   
  
Dick looked down at Tim who lay in the medical bay of the cave, after his panic attack Bruce had taken him down there to run some tests in case Tim had gotten sick. The guilt consumed him as he watched his baby brother laying in the bed looking pale and sickly, the family knew about how he had lost his spleen and all Dick could do was blame himself.   
  
“I-If I hadn’t let him down..”   
  
“Dick, this isn’t your fault.”   
  
Bruce’s hand on his shoulder caused Dick to relax, even when Bruce pulled him in for a hug Dick couldn’t stop watching Tim as he slept. He could only hope that Tim would tell them what’s going on.   
  
-   
  
When Tim woke Dick’s hand was in his, Bruce sat next to him looking tired and Damian stood at the end of the bed Alfred the cat in his arms. Tim’s head turned and he looked at Dick, Dick who was very much alive and Tim knew that.   
  
“I’m sorry.”   
  
Dick’s head snapped up and looked at him before he practically fell onto the bed pulling him into a hug. They laid like that for a moment, Bruce ruffled Tim’s hair and Damian put his hand on Tim’s foot, he was confused as to why they were doing it but he was comforted with them surrounding him.   
  
“We’re here babybird, you’re okay.”   
  
-   
  
When Bruce and Damian left Tim finally explained to Dick what he thought had happened.   
  
“Sometimes I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not real.. then there are times where I can’t remember events, like you dying and coming back. It’s happened before with Kon, with Bruce too sometimes I forget that they’re alive but it’s never been that bad. I didn’t mean to freak you guys out.”   
  
Tim’s voice was small in that moment as Dick played with his hair keeping him grounded, Dick was still laying in the bed with him pulling Tim into his chest and keeping Tim close.   
  
“I see.. Have you spoken to anyone about this?”  
  
When Tim shook his head he could feel Dick tensing, he was pulled closer to Dick’s chest and couldn’t help but relax in his hold even if Dick was starting to smother him again.  
  
“Will you talk to me about it? If it helps.”   
  
“Yeah.. I can try.”   
  
“I promise you, baby bird, I’m not going to leave your side.”   
  
Even at that moment Tim couldn’t tell if Dick was just a figure of his imagination or if he was real. For all he knew, he was talking to a ghost.


End file.
